A dictatorship is a form of governance where a single leader or party wields concentrated power, often without democratic processes, while a theocracy combines government and religious authority, where religious leaders hold political power and laws are based on religious doctrine. In dictatorships, political dissent is often suppressed, and there may be no legitimate elections, whereas theocracies may constrain political freedom based on religious laws but can vary in the degree of enforcement. Both systems limit democratic governance but differ fundamentally in their ideological foundations.